Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 11 | Article 117 Burbano et al.

New record for the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus

hampei, in Hawaii

Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-abstract/11/1/117/2493413 by guest on 25 September 2019

Elsie Burbano1a*, Mark Wright1b, Donald E. Bright2c, and Fernando E. Vega3d
1
University of Hawaii, Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture
and Human Resources, 3050 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822
2
Colorado State University, Department of Bioagriculture Sciences and Pest Management, Fort Collins, CO 80523
3
Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Bldg 001,
BARC West, Beltsville, MD 20705

Abstract
The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is endemic
to Africa and is the most devastating pest of coffee worldwide. The female bores a hole in the
coffee berry and deposits her eggs inside. Upon hatching, larvae feed on the seeds, thus reducing
both quality and yields of the marketable product. The coffee berry borer was found in the district
of Kona on the island of Hawaii in August 2010 and appears to be restricted to that area.

Keywords: bark beetle, broca, Scolytinae

Correspondence: a eburbano@hawaii.edu, b markwrig@hawaii.edu, c Donald.Bright@colostate.edu, d
Fernanado.Vega@ars.usda.gov, *Corresponding author
Editor: Todd Shelly was Editor of this paper.
Received: 19 October 2010, Accepted: 31 December 2010
Copyright : This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits
unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.
ISSN: 1536-2442 | Vol. 11, Number 117
Cite this paper as:
Burbano E, Wright M, Bright DE, Vega FE. 2011. New record for the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, in
Hawaii. Journal of Insect Science 11:117 available online: insectscience.org/11.117

Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org 1

Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 11 | Article 117 Burbano et al.

Introduction

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei

(Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae,
Scolytinae; Figure 1), is a bark beetle endemic
to Central Africa and now distributed Figure 1. Dorsal view of an adult coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus
hampei (left) and adult female (~ 2 mm long) walking over a coffee
throughout all coffee producing countries in

Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-abstract/11/1/117/2493413 by guest on 25 September 2019

seed (right). Photos by Eric Erbe, USDA, ARS (left) and Peggy Greb,
the world, with the exception of Nepal and USDA, ARS (right). High quality figures are available online.
Papua New Guinea. It is the most
economically important coffee pest worldwide
(Le Pelley 1968; Vega 2008). Colonizing
females bore a hole in the coffee berry and
deposit eggs within galleries, followed by
larval feeding on the coffee seed (Figure 2).
This reduces both yield and quality of coffee,
which in turn affects the income of coffee
Figure 2. Hypothenemus hampei galleries containing eggs (left), and
growers (Damon 2000; Jaramillo et al. 2006). eggs and larvae (right). Photos by Elsie Burbano. High quality figures
There is sibling mating among the adult are available online.
progeny with a 10:1 sex ratio favoring
females. Therefore, when new adult females
emerge from the berry, they are already
inseminated and ready to locate another berry
in which to continue their life cycle (Vega et
al. 2009). Male insects do not fly and remain
inside the berry.

Discovery of H. hampei in Kona

In August 2010, H. hampei was found in

South Kona, Island of Hawaii. Specimens
were identified by Donald E. Bright of
Colorado State University, Al Samuelson of
Bishop Museum, and Natalia J. Vandenberg
of the Systematic Entomology Laboratory,
USDA-ARS. The infestation in South Kona
extends from Kainaliu to Opihihale (Figure 3;
Hawaii Department of Agriculture 2010a),
which indicates the insect has been present on
the island for some time. The insect has not
yet been found on any other Hawaiian island.
Figure 3. Distribution of Hypothenemus hampei in the district of
Kona, Island of Hawai’i. Pest incidence data by Hawaii Department of
Agriculture. Map courtesy of Kai Sonder, CIMMYT. High quality
figures are available online.
Among the usual pest management options
that can be implemented against H. hampei
are the use of biological control agents, such
as parasitoids and fungal entomopathogens
such as Beauveria bassiana. One promising
area is the identification of attractants and/or
repellents that can be used against the insect.

Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org 2

Journal of Insect Science:Vol. 11 | Article 117
These pest management options were recently
reviewed by Vega et al. (2009). In addition,
crop sanitation could hold promise in reducing
pest impact. This strategy would require an
agreement among growers to harvest and
destroy infested berries (Bustillo et al. 1998).
Removing the food source for H. hampei
could have a significant impact while the
beetle still has a very limited distribution
Burbano et al.
Hawaii Department of Agriculture. 2010b.
CBB survey status report. Available online,
http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/ppc/coffee-berry-
borer-folder/cbb-survey-status-report
Jaramillo J, Borgemeister C, Baker P. 2006.
Coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei
(Coleoptera: Curculionidae): searching for
sustainable control strategies. Bulletin of

Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-abstract/11/1/117/2493413 by guest on 25 September 2019

across Hawaii. As of 30 September 2010, only
8 farms were known to be infested in Kona
(Department of Agriculture 2010b).
Acknowledgements
We thank the Hawaii Department of
Agriculture for providing data on insect
localities, and Kai Sonder from the
International Maize and Wheat Improvement
Center in Mexico for preparing the map.
References
Bustillo AE, Cárdenas R, Villalba D,
Benavides P, Orozco J, Posada FJ. 1998.
Manejo integrado de la broca del café,
Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) en Colombia.
Cenicafé.
Entomological Research 96: 223-233.
Le Pelley RH. 1968. Pests of Coffee.
Longmans Green and Co., Ltd.
Vega FE. 2008. Coffee berry borer,
Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera:
Curculionidae: Scolytinae). In: Capinera JL,
Editor. Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd
edition. pp. 959-960. Springer.
Vega FE, Infante F, Castillo A, Jaramillo J.
2009. The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus
hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae):
a short review, with recent findings and future
research directions. Terrestrial Arthropod
Reviews 2: 129-147.

Damon A. 2000. A review of the biology and

control of the coffee berry borer,
Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari (Coleoptera:
Scolytidae). Bulletin of Entomological
Research 90: 453-465.

Hawaii Department of Agriculture. 2010a.

Coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei
Ferrari (Coleoptera: Curculionidae:
Scolytinae). New pest advisory No. 10-01.
Available online,
http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/ppc/coffee-berry-
borer-folder/Pest%20Advisory%20-
%20CBB.pdf

Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org 3